Page 56 of Freeing Hook

“I said the guest would be attending the dinner party. I didn’t say that’s when we’d procure the information,” says Lord Carlisle, glancing at his wife, who grins mischievously at him from her seat.

Unease twists in my belly, but I can’t quite pinpoint its source. Lady Carlisle turns her attention to me, examining my every move.

A test.

I jump from my seat and grab onto Astor’s arm. “Cortland, please,” I say, with all the desperation I can muster. “Don’t be stubborn. They’re offering us a way out. I can’t…I can’t bear the thought of my heart being stolen away from you. Please, it’s just an evening.”

Astor flicks his green eyes down to where my fingers are clutching his arm. For a moment, I think he’s actually going to shrug me off. But then the tension in his shoulders loosens, andhe cups my cheek in his hand. “You know I’d do anything to keep you, Darling.”

Without my permission, my mind flashes back to the first night we met, the captain’s thumb on my jaw.You missed a spot, is what he’d said as he’d stroked my Mating Mark where my maids had forgotten to apply paint.

I douse that moment in the sticky scent of my parents’ blood, the thud of their bodies hitting the floor.

“Of course, as awkward as it might be, we must discuss payment,” says Lord Carlisle, attempting to break the stare Astor and I share.

“I was under the impression you traded in secrets,” says Astor, without taking his eyes off of me.

The lady of the house giggles. “Well, we have to make our money somehow. Most of our guests pay, but for those who can’t afford it—which is not the case with a wealthy couple like yourselves—occasionally a secret will do. So long as it’s worth our while.”

“You mean so long as it’s the type of thing someone else would pay good money for,” says Astor, ignoring her aside about the Rivers’ wealth.

I turn toward the Carlisles. “Isn’t the knowledge that the Rivers’ marriage is on a treacherous path due to our Mating Marks valuable enough? You don’t think someone would pay good coin for the lead that there’s a woman out there somewhere who’s capable of stealing my husband’s heart…and his inheritance?”

Astor shoots me a warning look that I don’t need words to read.You’re not exactly being the weak-minded girl the Carlisles want you to be at the moment, he seems to say.

Still, there’s a glint of amusement shining in his eyes.

“You assume the worst of people, Lady Rivers,” says Lord Carlisle, lips strained at the edges.

“Surely you can see why I fear the information spreading,” I say, allowing my eyes to cut across to Lady Carlisle, who is tapping her sharp, blood-red fingernails against the side table. “The scheme would be simple to organize. All an enemy would have to do is find my husband’s Mate, then trap the girl in a contract to split the inheritance in exchange for the information about her Mate’s whereabouts.”

Lord Carlisle leans forward, matching Astor’s posture, then rests his thumb against his bottom lip. “And if your husband’s Mate is already spoken for? She might not agree to the scheme.”

My heart pounds against my chest, my Mating Mark searing against my cheek and neck. My answer comes out stilted, but resolute all the same. “Trust me. She would agree. She wouldn’t be able to resist.”

Astor doesn’t move, except for the slightest twitch of his Mated hand. Lord Carlisle’s grin is cruel, slithering up his cheeks. “You two are in a precarious position, aren’t you?”

“Lady Rivers makes a decent argument,” says Lady Carlisle. “Your secret would fetch a high price among several of our patrons. Except the secret becomes worthless once the two of you break your Mating Bonds.”

I flash her a grin, pleasant enough that my mother would have been proud. “Then you’d best sell the secret with haste instead of trying to benefit from it yourself. While it’s still worth something, I mean.”

At that, I think I catch Astor smile, though it’s in the periphery of my vision, and by the time I turn to him to check, all evidence has vanished.

“You found yourself a clever wife, Corbin—Cortland,” says Carlisle, correcting himself effortlessly. “I’d tell you those are more valuable than beautiful ones, but it seems the both of us have been fortunate in both arenas.”

Astor plays his part well, turning to admire me as he places his hand at the crook of my neck and grazes his thumb across my jaw. If I didn’t already know it’s channeled loathing simmering underneath the surface, I’d likely mistake it for something else. “Fortunate, indeed.”

CHAPTER 22

WENDY

The Carlisles are more clever than either of us have given them credit for.

When the servant rings the bell that the first of the dinner guests have arrived, Lord Carlisle absconds to meet them at the door, while Lady Carlisle escorts us to the dining room.

It’s as extravagant as the rest of the manor. The western wall is made entirely of glass paneling, except for the golden rims that separate the individual panes. The result is a fiery sunset of pinks and oranges that works as a grander mural than any esteemed artist could ever hope to paint. In the distance, the sea shimmers, reflecting the sky as the sun descends on our dinner. The opposite wall is also made of glass and looks into a music parlor, where three blindfolded women in lavish gowns pluck at the strings of emerald-encrusted harps.

The table itself is carved of oak, with lace runners and crystal vases as centerpieces.

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